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GoPro Stabilization

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auski
Posts: 730 - Karma: 1,033
Anyone who follows GoPro athletes like Chris Benchetler, T Rice or Bobby will have seen some really smooth GoPro follow cam clips in the last couple of weeks from the GoPro camps. I've been watching POV and follow cam edits for ages but I've never seen anything SO SMOOTH. These shots are on a completely different level to anything I've seen before with a GoPro.

And, well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I want to work out how the results are achieved.

All the clips I've seen with the freaky smoothness are filmed by a GoPro guy called Matt Cook and they appear as the most recent videos on his Instagram account @skichef. The most recent four are the ones that stand out.

Example
https://instagram.com/p/1ueXokExlY/?taken-by=skichefIt looks to me like he gets such good results with a combination of:

1. a long pole which would minimise shake;
2. some kind of gimbal setup; and
3. a shitload of skill and practice.

With these things I know you can't underestimate the skill and practice required but I'm most interested in what he might use as a Glidecam equivalent for GoPros.

I tried asking but got no response. Would a skilled operator of a Fieyu G4, for example, be the answer?

http://www.feiyu-tech.com/G4-en.php
Apr 22 2015 8:56AM
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lcoopman
Posts: 275 - Karma: 1,842
Ive seen someone in person with a gopro gimbal. Looks to work very well. I think you can also homemade one from a cheapish quadcopter gimbal. Rhino makes a good pivoting pole mount with a counter weight.
Apr 22 2015 12:00PM
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123+ski
Posts: 2832 - Karma: 581
The feiyu g4 is supposed to be very good. It is the successor to the popular g3, I believe the difference (other than color) is the motors are slightly larger so that they can handle the bacpac accessories, and it appears that the wires are now all concealed/protected in the housing.
Apr 22 2015 12:18PM
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KellyK
Posts: 1782 - Karma: 715
I spent a big portion of my season filming with a Feiyu G3. I'm super happy with the jump follows I was able to get with Ethan near the end of this edit.

https://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/765486.0/Unveiled---S1E4?s=125452&t=6&o=8
Apr 22 2015 12:37PM
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auski
Posts: 730 - Karma: 1,033
That works really well. Nice job. Now I can't understand why those things aren't used more. It makes a world of difference

It's the first thing I'll be buying when the GP5 comes out. I currently have a 3 Black but may as well upgrade everything at once
Apr 23 2015 5:32AM
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masonbennett
Posts: 4 - Karma: 48
Here's some close up shots of the gimbal Matt Cook is using, definitely produces some silky smooth shots! It looks like a Feiyu gimbal to me on like a custom made pole.

Apr 23 2015 5:17PM
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r._ed
Posts: 234 - Karma: 855
One of the best tips if you don't have a gimbal is to set you go pro to record upside down and mount it on the underside of the pole, that way the weight of the go pro often works as a counter balance and hugely reduces shake, then if you grip it loosely with your front hand almost like a pool cue its actually pretty easy to get super smooth follows without a gimbal.

credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZEYz_eNoVU
Apr 25 2015 8:56PM
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